Customise Showhomes with Interactive CGI

Try before you buy, it’s an age old saying but one that still rings true.

When it comes to property, a showhome gives home-buyers a chance to experience their new home, but it’s not exactly been designed with their personal taste in mind. But that’s the very nature of a showhome, it’s an example build that gives the buyer an idea of what they can expect from the space and floor-plan. 

Before a buyer places a deposit on a newbuild home, they’ll  have been through months of research doing groundwork on the correct location, the number of bedrooms, the floorplan and the build type. But whilst those important factors make a house, they don’t necessarily make a home. The challenge with newbuild property is that it can be difficult to visualise what exactly each room will look like and specifically, how each room will be kitted out with surfaces and interior features.

For many people, seeing how their home can come together and really feel like their own is a massive boost to putting pen to paper. This means giving them a visual of what their dream home will actually look like. The old school method was getting buyers into the marketing suite and showing them swatches over the desk. Marble, oak, or maple, think a catalog of materials were shared with the buyer over the counter. But holding a small swatch doesn’t exactly give the full impression of a kitchen surface. 

That’s where interactive CGI steps in.

Making a House a Home with Interactive CGI

We offer a range of virtual tools that can bring full scale new build developments to life but also drill right into visualising the kitchen countertop within a single build. Once a buyer has narrowed down to their choice of build type, they might start exploring showhomes or using virtual tours to get a sense of the space. It’s here that customisation can be brought in, through the power of interactive CGI. 

Our interactive CGI capabilities mean homebuyers can customise the bespoke house of their dreams. We offer three core services within our interactive CGI range that enable homebuyers to ‘try before they buy’.

Product Selectors

First up, are product selectors. If you’re a new build developer reading this article and you aren’t using product selectors, you’re likely still selling property in a old school way. This still has its merits but sharing countertop swatches over the counter of a marketing suite is rapidly being left behind. Customers are increasingly digitally savvy and are looking for a digital experience when looking for their home.

Our product selectors empower buyers to browse through different fittings, surfaces and appliances within their selected new build home – all virtually. This really creates a personalisation element that actually helps the buyer feel more attached to their home. Think about it, it’s the personal touch that makes a house feel like a home.

Kitchen Selectors

They say the heart of any home is the kitchen. It’s often a space where the full family get together at the end of the day and share a meal. Its a deeply emotional part of any home and therefore any build. Whilst buyers are expected to use their imagination when viewing a showhome, it can prove tricky for them to visualise how exactly the interior features will come together. 

Our kitchen selectors tool is a brilliant way to let buyers visualise how exactly their kitchen fittings and countertops could look. All through the power of interactive CGI, built within a virtual tour, buyers can flick through different kitchen features like flooring, cabinets, worktops and even sink fittings. Within each area buyers can then browse different finishes, colour schemes and textures to really get detailed on their exact interior requirements.

Visualise weather and seasons

A house is for life, not just for Christmas. Talking of winter time, with our weather and season simulation engine; buyers can visualise what their newbuild house would look like in the snow. We call this adaptive CGI, which is another tool within our interactive CGI arsenal.

This tool really has a wow-factor effect with buyers, they can actually visualise their new home throughout the seasons of the year and even go around the clock and see day and night time visualisations. Buyers can toggle through from Autumn and see their newbuild surrounded by golden-brown and dappled light, or slide through to winter and see snowflakes float into view.

How Castle Green Homes Used EyeSiteView Interactive CGI

Through the power of EyeSiteView interactive CGI, Castle Green Homes were able to build an interactive development plan that saw buyers customise their own virtual showhomes.


Every house type in the Castle Green portfolio was accurately represented in photo-realistic CGI, allowing their customers to jump inside their new home and explore it virtually.

Each Virtual Showhome has the functionality to:

• Explore in immersive 360°
• Toggle between different kitchen & bathroom options
• Turn furniture on & off
• Accessed anywhere on mobile, tablet or desktop

Every property includes a Housetype Configurator. An intuitive interactive tool to assist customers visually review specification options and upgrade choices.

“We wanted a platform that empowers our customers and puts them in control. Our investment into digital marketing and sales tech allows homebuyers to start their purchasing journey earlier, all from the comfort of their own home.” – Hannah Ryle (Marketing Manager)

Move out from old sales techniques and settle into interactive CGI

At EyeSiteView, we’re big believers in the blend of the physical and the digital. A visit to a real showhome is always so important for any buyer. But interactive CGI takes their viewing experience to another level and can push them closer to placing a deposit.

Its time to move away from sample swatches over the counter and its time to embrace product selectors, kitchen visualisers and season and weather simulation. All of these tools help a new buyer feel more connected to their build before they’ve even moved in; its giving them a personal touch.

If you’d like to find out more about interactive CGI and other interactive sales tools, get in touch with us today to book a demo.